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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24963313">tears from heaven</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/smilebackwards/pseuds/smilebackwards'>smilebackwards</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shadowhunters (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Established Relationship, Fluff and Humor, M/M, like there's a lot of crying for the premise but it's genuinely very fluffy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 10:40:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,782</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24963313</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/smilebackwards/pseuds/smilebackwards</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Nephilim tears are a highly prized potions ingredient. Magnus would like his colleagues to stop making his husband cry.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>85</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>858</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Hunter's Moon Fic Recs</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>tears from heaven</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“What the hell is going on?” Magnus says dangerously, magic sparking red around his fists. </p><p>Coming home to the loft to find Alec there is the highlight of Magnus’s day. Alec is usually cooking dinner or propped up on the couch reading a book. Sometimes he’s practicing making cocktails or watching TV with a vaguely guilty look on his face, like he can’t believe he’s doing something so frivolous. Magnus loves coming home to all these versions of Alec.</p><p>He does not love coming home to Alec sobbing his heart out, Lorenzo Rey awkwardly patting him on the shoulder.</p><p>“I can explain,” Lorenzo says, eyeing Magnus warily.</p><p>“You’d fucking better,” Magnus says. He shoves Lorenzo aside and softens his voice to talk to Alec, “Darling,” Magnus says, turning Alec toward him. “Darling, what’s the matter?”</p><p>“Nothing,” Alec says, a hideously obvious falsehood. He curls in against Magnus’s chest, hand gripped tight in the fabric of Magnus’s shirt.</p><p>Magnus holds him and makes gentle shushing noises against Alec’s ear. He’s not going to get much more out of Alec until he calms down. Alec takes emotion hard.</p><p>Magnus turns a glare up at Lorenzo. “Well,” he says, more gently than he wants, because Alec is in his arms and he doesn’t deserve secondhand anger, “what do you have to say about this, Rey?”</p><p>“I—,” Lorenzo clears his throat. “I didn’t intend for it to go this far. I just needed a few nephilim tears for a <i>vis potentia</i> potion.”</p><p>“Are you saying you made my husband cry <i>on purpose</i>?” Magnus asks, stunned. Alec’s tears are damp against his chest. They <i>are</i> genuinely worth a fortune, but Magnus would pay that fortune twice over in a heartbeat to make them disappear.</p><p>“Well, yes,” Lorenzo says. Magnus notices for the first time that he has a small glass vial in his hand. There’s a drip of clear liquid in it. Alec’s tears.</p><p>“Get. Out,” Magnus says, with Edom behind his voice.</p><p>“Magnus, it’s okay,” Alec says. He’s lifted his head from Magnus’s chest and his face is heartbreaking, eyes still wet and welling. “Lorenzo asked and I said it would be fine. I just— I couldn’t cry on command so—” </p><p>“I suggested he think about you dying,” Lorenzo says. He at least has the decency to sound chagrined, but that’s all the grace Magnus is willing to allow him. “That’s what worked last time.”</p><p>“Last time?” Magnus says, his voice going high. Angel, how many ways is this conversation going to get worse? “This isn’t the first time you’ve done this?”</p><p>“No. I mean, yes,” Alec says. “It’s the first time Lorenzo asked me about the nephilim tears but it’s not the first time I cried.” Magnus takes a deep breath. “When you rejected Lorenzo’s magic,” Alec continues, “when you were dying, I came to ask for his help. I— I made an emotional appeal.”</p><p>“Sweetheart,” Magnus says, pressing a kiss to Alec’s lips. He doesn’t like to think about that time period, all the sacrifices they tried to make for each other.</p><p>“So we knew what it would take to make me cry.” Alec smiles weakly. “With everything that’s happened, it wasn’t difficult for me to imagine again. I imagined it really hard.”</p><p>“Maybe you could try <i>not</i> to do that in the future, Alexander?” Magnus says. He cradles Alec’s face in his hands and uses his thumbs to swipe the tear tracks off his cheeks. “I’m not going anywhere.” It’s not really a promise he can make unequivocally but he wants to. Magnus means it as hard as he can.</p><p>“Yeah,” Alec says with a watery laugh. He hugs Magnus tight. “I’m okay now. I’m glad you’re home safe.”</p><p>“Me too, darling,” Magnus says. </p><p>“Shit,” Alec says, pushing to his feet and pulling Magnus up with him. “I was going to make dinner. Lorenzo, do you want to stay?”</p><p>“Thank you, but I’ll be on my way,” Lorenzo says. Magnus can’t tell if he’s finally learned a modicum of social graces or if he can sense that Magnus is still about two seconds from throwing a fireball at him. Either way, it’s the right answer. “I apologize for the pain I caused you.”</p><p>“It’s not your fault,” Alec says. “If you need more tears, let me know.” He smiles, wry and self-deprecating. “Maybe bring a bigger jar next time. I wasted a ton.”</p><p><i>Next time,</i> Magnus thinks. <i>Heaven and Hell forfend.</i> He walks Lorenzo to the door while Alec starts puttering around in the kitchen. </p><p>“It was ill-considered,” Lorenzo says quietly. “I apologize.”</p><p>“Goodnight, Lorenzo,” Magnus says, and closes the door in his face. Magnus would count them friends now but he’s going to need a minute to remember that.</p><p>Alec is pulling down a mixing bowl but Magnus has never had less of an appetite in his life. He sighs against the back of Alec’s neck. “Darling, if you’re not too hungry, I have a terrible need to cuddle with you right now.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Alec says. There’s still something hurt in his eyes for all his hastily applied bravado. “That’d be nice.”</p><p>Magnus draws him by the hand and presses him gently to the soft silk sheets of their bed. Alec shifts onto his side and Magnus curls around his back, his arm reaching across their bodies so their hands can intertwine. He presses a kiss to Alec’s shoulder. “I love you, darling.”</p><p>“I love you too,” Alec says.</p><p>-</p><p>“<i>Catarina</i>,” Magnus says, betrayed. </p><p>Alec’s eyes are red-rimmed and watery and Catarina is clutching a vial. Magnus is not a fan of this tableau becoming recurring. </p><p>“I’m sorry,” Catarina says, looking appropriately apologetic. </p><p>“She needs them for a healing potion,” Alec defends. “Catarina, are you sure that’s enough?”</p><p>“I’m sure. Here,” she says, handing him her cellphone. “I have new pictures of Madzie. We went to the aquarium last week.” </p><p>At least she knows how to cheer him up, Magnus thinks. Alec goes from teary to smiling in seconds. “<i>Remedium auxilium</i>?” Magnus asks and Catarina nods. Of all the potions that use nephilim tears, it’s by far the most altruistic. Of course Catarina would only have asked for that.</p><p>“Oh my God, Magnus, look at this one,” Alec says, turning the phone to show Magnus a photo of Madzie outside the shark tanks. There’s a Great White outlined behind her, its gills sharply apparent, and she’s turned sideways too, her scarf off to show her warlock mark.</p><p>“Can we take her sometime?” Alec asks Catarina.</p><p>“Please, take her any time,” Catarina says. “She asked me if she could live there and looked utterly heartbroken when I said no.”</p><p>Magnus swipes the phone screen to the next picture where Madzie has her hands in a tide pool, pastel colored starfish visible through the crystal clear water. “Maybe next Saturday.”</p><p>“She’ll be thrilled,” Catarina says. She steps across to the couch to pick up her purse and pull out her wallet. “I really appreciate your help with this potion, Alec. I’m sorry to ask it of you.”</p><p>Alec waves off the money. “Seriously, Catarina, I’m not going to charge you for an ingredient you need in a healing potion. I’m happy to help.” He pauses. “But, I mean, if anyone else asks, what do you think they’re worth?”</p><p><i>They’re priceless, darling,</i> Magnus thinks, pained.</p><p>“You shouldn’t take a dollar less than three hundred for a vial this size,” Catarina says, more pragmatically.</p><p>“Really?” Alec says, shocked. “Lorenzo offered four but I thought he was kidding. He said he was making something to strengthen the ley lines.”</p><p>“There are several useful potions that require nephilim tears,” Magnus says. He doesn’t love the direction this is going but he would never begrudge Alec the information. “Warlocks would pay top dollar.”</p><p>Magnus hasn’t heard of anyone making <i>remedium auxilium</i> or <i>vis potentia</i> in decades. People mainly did without. If it was life and death essential—not a judgement all warlocks were good at making in Magnus’s opinion—the commonly accepted harvesting method was to kidnap a Shadowhunter and torture them for a few hours. Paying Alec a few hundred dollars to cry willingly would be infinitely easier and less dangerous. Magnus could see why people were eager for the chance.</p><p>“Darling,” Magnus says, taking Alec’s hands, “I promise you we don’t need the money.” </p><p>He’s been trying to accustom Alec to the idea of a joint bank account. Even as the Head of the entire New York Institute, Alec works for absolutely abysmal pay. But Alec is still sharply resistant to the idea of using what he considers to be Magnus’s money. He’ll accept gifts, dinners out, but he doesn’t buy himself things.</p><p>“I know,” Alec says, smiling. “It’s fine, Magnus. I doubt anyone else will ask anyway.”</p><p>-</p><p>People ask. People ask <i>often.</i></p><p>“You are comfortable turning them down?” Magnus checks, after the High Warlock of Seville walks out of their loft with 5 mL of premium nephilim tears. “You don’t owe the warlock community this, Alexander.”</p><p>“Of course,” Alec says, wiping his eyes with a silk handkerchief Magnus has taken to keeping in his breast pocket. He looks closely at Magnus’s face. “Does it really upset you? I like to help people and it’s nice to be able to take you out sometimes with what they pay me, but you know I’ll stop if it hurts you, right?”</p><p>“They’re your tears to give away, darling,” Magnus says. He can’t say he enjoys it, but it’s not his decision. And Magnus doesn’t want to imply to Alec that he can’t stand to see him cry. He wants Alec to always show him his truest feelings; it was right there in their wedding vows. If Alec ever needs to cry, Magnus wants Alec to know that his shoulder is welcoming.</p><p>“All right,” Alec says, not looking entirely convinced.</p><p>It probably doesn’t help that Magnus had obliterated one of his customers last week. But the warlock had turned to Magnus and <i>congratulated</i> him on keeping a steady supply of ingredients immediately on hand. “Very practical,” he’d said. Magnus had thrown him across the room and out the door and considered it an admirably even-handed response.</p><p>Magnus reaches out to cup Alec’s chin. “I won’t pretend I don’t prefer to see you smile,” he says and Alec does smile, turning his face to press a kiss to Magnus’s palm. </p><p>“And you know,” Magnus says, “I love to see you laugh.” He slides his hands up beneath Alec’s shirt and tweaks the skin above his hips. Alec lets out a sharp, breathless yelp. Magnus still remembers the utter joy he felt on learning that his Shadowhunter was <i>ticklish.</i></p><p>“Magnus,” Alec says mock-warningly as Magnus pushes him toward the couch. </p><p>Alec falls onto his back on the cushions and Magnus pounces on him, tickling in earnest. “Magnus!” Alec shouts between his gasps of laughter, trying to beat Magnus away with a throw pillow.</p><p>“Darling,” Magnus returns.</p><p>Alec laughs and laughs and laughs. His face is so bright. Tears are streaming down his cheeks and Magnus kisses them away, salty and sweet on his tongue.</p><p>“Darling, I’ve had a brilliant thought,” Magnus says.</p><p>-</p><p>Making Alec cry from sorrow and fear is one thing. Alec crying from joy is an entirely different matter. Alec deserves all the joy in the world.</p><p>“Do you really think they’ll work the same?” Alec asks, peering at the two identical bubbling flasks of <i>sirpe auctus</i> on the counter. </p><p>“I don’t see why not,” Magnus says. He stirs the potions three times clockwise and turns off the heat. “There’s nothing in the brewing guidelines that specifies whether the feeling behind the tears is important.” </p><p>Consent can be quite significant in potion ingredients and spells. There are plenty of notes in Magnus’s books with the caveat ‘freely given’. He doesn’t know of any nephilim before Alec that might have given their tears to warlocks freely but no one has come back with any complaints. Magnus doesn’t see why it should be any different for the reason behind the tears.</p><p>“I hate to ask you to test this with me, darling,” Magnus says, “but if you’re determined to keep being a fount of tears, I do hope this might make it less painful in the long run.”</p><p>“It’s all right,” Alec says. His eyes are still a little red. “It’s sweet of you. And I wanted to give some more to Catarina anyway. I don’t think she wants to ask again.”</p><p>They’re going for dinner at her house in the evening. Alec’s tears may be a non-traditional hostess gift, but Magnus is sure she’ll appreciate the thought. Alec has the second vial of sorrow tears for Catarina since those are the type he’s been providing to everyone’s rapturous satisfaction. Alec had cried the first vial for Magnus who had carefully labelled it ‘sorrow’ and set it next to the vial labelled ‘joy’ that he’d collected during their tickle fight. </p><p>“Come sit with me while they cool,” Magnus says and they spend a perfect lazy afternoon watching Project Runway, Alec’s head pillowed on Magnus’s shoulder.</p><p><i>Sirpe auctus</i> is entirely innocuous unlike some of the potions that use nephilim tears. It’s for basic botanical plant growth. Magnus pours the sorrow tears version on one of the ferns they keep out on the balcony and then measures the fronds again. Three and a half inches of growth. He repeats the process with the joy tears version of the potion.</p><p>“That’s what you wanted to happen, right?” Alec says, as Magnus snaps away the measuring tape.</p><p>Magnus nods. “It’s extremely promising.” He takes Alec's hand. “Well, let’s be off to see the ladies. Catarina promised Madzie ice cream for dessert, and we certainly don’t want to miss that.”</p><p>-</p><p>Magnus tests <i>vocatio cito</i> for summoning and <i>nox visus</i> for night vision, Catarina’s <i>remedium auxilium</i> and Lorenzo’s <i>vis potentia.</i> He makes Alec <i>ferrumcutis</i> for nights when he’s on patrol; not quite invulnerability but some protection at least. </p><p>Joy or sorrow, they all come out perfectly. </p><p>-</p><p>IMPORTANT FUCKING ANNOUNCEMENT, Magnus posts on the warlock equivalent of a message board. It’s a spelled wall in the Spiral Labryinth that everyone portal checks at least once a week for the latest gossip and to see if Antinious has finally published the definitive treatise on sex magic that he’s been promising everyone for two centuries now.</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>IMPORTANT FUCKING ANNOUNCEMENT - I’ve done horribly thorough research and there is absolutely zero difference in the efficacy of nephilim tears in potions whether they were cried in sorrow or joy. <i>Anyone</i> who makes my husband cry will be doing the joy option. This is non-negotiable. Watch our wedding video with him, take him to see the alpacas at the petting zoo, or try to explain the plot of Star Wars. If you find another way, I’ll refund you 50% of whatever he charges you, but you’re not allowed to tell him that.</p>
</blockquote>He signs it with a flourished Magnus Lightwood-Bane even though everyone knows Magnus is the only warlock with a nephilim husband. Magnus likes to see his name and he likes <i>everyone else</i> to see his name.<p>“Magnus,” Alec says, two weeks later, “why do so many warlocks suddenly want to watch our wedding video?”</p><p>“Oh,” Magnus says, “I’m sorry I forgot to tell you, darling. I let everyone know that your tears of joy were perfectly effective for potions.”</p><p>“But some of them aren’t even coming to ask for nephilim tears,” Alec says. “They just want to watch it.”</p><p>“Well then that’s just good taste,” Magnus says. There <i>had</i> been some responses on the message board to his announcement to the tune of ‘this is the most adorable thing I’ve ever read’ and ‘friends, warlocks, countrymen, <i>please</i> go watch this wedding video. I’m sure the alpacas are nice too but holy shit it’s the sweetest thing I’ve seen in centuries &lt;3 &lt;3’.</p><p>“Okay,” Alec says. “I mean, I don’t mind re-watching the happiest day of my life. And your friends are nice.”</p><p>Magnus has never met half of the warlocks that have been traipsing through the loft for the past few weeks but the wards keep out anyone with ill-intent so they have been nice. Magnus should probably start hosting dinner parties again. Alec likes to cook for Izzy, Jace and Clary. He might be open to adding a few more plates for warlocks. Maybe Maia and Raphael as well. A less formal outreach than the Downworld Council, but perhaps no less important.</p><p>Magnus reaches out to put his arms around Alec’s waist. “Every day with you makes me so very happy, darling,” he says, and Alec smiles at him, no tears in sight.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Comments are loved!  I’m also smilebackwards on <a href="https://smilebackwards.tumblr.com/post/622185536423149568/tears-from-heaven-shadowhunters-magnusalec">tumblr</a> and <a href="https://smilebackwards.dreamwidth.org/">Dreamwidth.</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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